Che ; 
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Cul 6 
Bullétin No, 56 | September if 1922, 
M. M. LEIGHTON 


COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 





DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS 4 
James F, Woodward, Secretary 





BUREAU OF TOPOGRAPHIG AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
George H. Ashley, State Geologist 





OIL FIELDS REJUVENATED 


By 
Robert B. Bossler 


Introduction. , 


Oil wells cease flowing when only a small part of the oil has 
been delivered to the surface. Then pumping is resorted to and more 
Oil is obtained. When pumping yields go little oil that it does not 
pay to continue operating; the supply of oil in the sand is by. no 
means exhausted, In fact, there may remain in the reservoir more oil 
then has been recovered, Several methods: have been devised for bring- 
‘ing this oil to the surface. 


The séveral methods of rejuvenating oil-wells may be classed in 
two groups, those applied to pools or leases, and those applied to 
Single wells, The methods applicable to pools or leases are: (1) the 
restoration’of pressure by water flooding, (2) restoration by com- 
pressed air, (3) by dewatering of flooded pools. Methods applied to 
Single wells are: (1) cleaning by chemical or electrical processes, 
(2) developing upper sands. 


As the quantity of oil remaining in seemingly exhausted pools or 
wells is large, a-slight difference in the percentage of oil recovered 
is important, Thercfore the writer was asked to study these methods 
as applied to cil pools in Pennsylvania and rate the results, 


DELinition: of Terms, 


Flooding - the act of letting water (fresh or salt) into a well 
for the purpose of increasing the production of oil from other wells, 


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Trapped oil - oil foreca aside by the water passing from a 
flocded well. to a producing well. 


Acknowledgments. 


The writer is indebted to Professor Roswell H. Johnson of the 
University of Pittsburgh for the inception of the idea and criticism 
of the work, to Dr. George H, Ashley, State Geologist, for the oppor- 
tunity and criticism, and to the oil producers, who so heartily 
cooperated in furnishing:‘data and information. Special thanks. are due 
to Mr. Homer J. Barcroft, William J. Healey, Forrest Dorn, all of 
Bradford, ond Brunded Brothers, and Mr. Charles FP. Smith of Oil City. 


Pressure Restoration Methods 
Water Flooding. 


Fiooding is classed as a pressure restoration methcd because the 
hydrostatic pressure developed by the colum of water standing in the 
well forces the water to penetrate the sand and to accumulate the oil 
ahead of it. 


Bradford Pool. The Bradford pool is in McKean County, Pennsyl- 
‘vania; and Cattareugus County, New York, ' The area, according to Lewis 
18 85,000 acres, These figures will be used for acre yicld caicu- 
lations; Production began-:in 1869, and to 1915 the pool yielded 
250,000,000 barrels of oil, or an average ‘of 2700 barrels per acre, 
Estimating an additionnl production of 21,250,000 barrels to the end 
of 1920 gives an average yield of 2940 barrels per acre, 


Bradford Sand. The stratigraphic yosition of the producing 
sand in the Bradford pool is Middle Chemung. Of the pkisical 
characteristics of the sand Ashburner**™ gays: "The Braford oil sand 
is the most important economic stratum in the northerniitier of 
-counties, It consists of gray and white sand of about the same 
coarseness as the ordinary beach sand of the Jersey coast; compact, 
yet loosely cemented, The average thickness.of the sand is about 45 
feet, and from top to bottom the sandy strata change but little in 
their general character. It. is only when, specimens from successive 
layers are placed side by side and closely examined that any difference 
in structure can‘be noticed, The grains of sand are angular, vary but 
Slightly in size, color, and quantity of cementing matcrial, which 
holds them together in their rock bed, 





The same homogeneousness which characterizes the vertical section 
is found to exist over a considerable horizontal area. In fact, but 
1ittle change is found to exist in the sand obtained from wells 15 
miles apart, or in the sand from intermediate wells," 


bentley tan tense 





i bewis, J. O. U.S, Bureau of Mines Bull. 148, p. 108 , 
Ashburner, C, A, Report R. 2nd Geoldgical Survey cf Pennsylvania, 
1880 - Page 75. | | 


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The porosity of this sand is reportea* to average 18 per cent. 
Structurally, this is one of the flattest oil fields known, dips 
probably not exceeding 10 feet per mile in any direction, 


First flooding. The first purposeful flocding in this district 
probably occurred about 30 years ago, ** and was done with the object 
of increasing production, The ides probably was conceived from 
observed results of accidental flooding. When three years elapsed 
after the water had been let into an old well without appreciable 
results, the owners sold the property, feeling thet their efforts had 
been futile, The purchaser pumped the wells at 2 smell profit for 
several years; then being alarmed by the rapidly increasing pro- 
duction of two old wells, and having the common fear of flocd, he 
Sold out at a fair profit. The new owmers for several years reaped a 

arvest in the operation of the property, Then, fearing #isaster, 
they sold out at an increase of 25 per cent above the purchase price. 
This occurred’in 1903, since when the property has three times 
changed hands, and covld now be readily sold at a larger figure than 
was received for it 27 years ogo. About one-third of this property 
remains unflooded, 


The history of other leases is similar. Flooding was regarded 
@S an evil untii it was shown that 2 greater quantity of oil could be 
produced in this way than by ordinary methods in an indefinite time. 
However, some producers still regard it with disfavor and only take 
advantage of it in self defense. Some producers have been constrained 
from flooding their wells by the law which requires that abandoned 
wells and dry holes be plugged to prevent water entering the sand, 
This law was construed to prohibit flooding, A recent State law, 
however, removed this restraint. 

In addition to. intentional flooding, there has been some : 
accidental flooding through improperly pluggéd holes, leaky casing, 
etc,, as evidenced by the fact that some leases; believed by the’ 
purchasers, who were old produccrs in the field, to be unflooded, were 
found when @rilled to be almost completely flooded. 


“In recent years the practice of flooding bas become very gencral, 
Pully 80 per cent of the lenses cre partially flocded, either fron 
Within the lease or from adjoining leases. A rough estimate of the 
probable area already flocded, inéluding area watered out acciden- 
tally, would be about 25 per cent, 


Results Obtained by Flooding. 


Data have been secured from a number of partially flooded prop- 
erties near Bradford to show the effect of flooding on production, 








*Monual for the Oil and Gas Industry, Department of th@ Interior, 
2nd Edition’~ Page 98, Bey 

** Thompson, 0, F, Tide Water Topics. Vol. 2, No.4 -‘April-1920. 
*** An Act entitled "An Act of the General Assembly, No. 322," 
Approved May 17, 1921,. 


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Production of 9 flooded properties in Bradford field, in barrels. 


Natural 
Productisn 

Natural Py WA EN OUG 2 Production Production pe3 
No. of Acres and Flood - Flood from flocded Acre due to 
Property Flooded Production (Estimated) Bred ou Flooding 

1 2.2 11748 1650 10098 4590 

c --- 4137 1500 LOOT ---- 

3 90 221618 59000 ee ok at Ys: 1800 

4 "6 39022 600C 95022 5500 

5 £06 30980 1825 BOL5A 11200 

6 24 wae -~--- 113000 a 4700 

7 24 b 77399 41200 $6199 1500? 

8 4¢ 20168 0 20168 5000? 

9 -- 61321 0 613 ~ =aeee 


a. Estimated in part. 
b. Probably wrong. 
c. Estimated, 


If the estimates‘of natural production without flooding are 
approximately correct, the figures in this table indicate that the 
yield is greatly increased by flooding, Wells without netural pro- 
duction have been made to yield thousands of bgrrels of oil, some pro- 
ducing wells have doubled their output, end others havé produced many 
times more than the quantity delivered before flooding. 


Rate and direction of flooding. “The rate at which flooding 
progresses from 2 well variés in direction, the speed being greatest 
where the sand is most open. The water advances most rapicly through 
the oil sand of wells that produced freely, ’and moves slowly where — 
wells were least prolific, or, by inference, where the sand is tight. 


| It has been observed also that the rate of advance of flood. water 

aries with the depth of the‘well, Flooding scems to progress most 
rapidly in the deepest wells, as would be expected on account of the 
Breater pressure of the water colum, In 2 lease on tthe pleteau 
flooding advanced in one direction 112 feet and in another direction 
£45 feet in a year. In the valley where one wotered well is. 
surrounded by 7 producing wells, the flood water has not advanced 175 
feet in three years, It is possible, however, that the guantity of 
water gupplied through the cone well is not sufficient for the seven, 


Method of flooding, Formerly the method of flooding 2 well was 
to remove the casing and plug the we]l above a known water-bearing 
Sand, leaving‘the hole open below the plug. This’method is in dis- 
favor because, (1) it does not permit examination, and (2) the well 
may plug itself with silt or chemical precipitates, 


As the law requires that the upper sands be protected, the method 
of flooding a well and of preparing to take advantage of the results, 
Scems to have reached a common practice, The method prescribed and 


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commonly followcd now is to tube the well, placing tubing packer above 
the oil sand, and cup packers below the water sand. The tubirg is 
perforated above the cup packers, As the tubing mey not rest on the 
bottom it is suspended from the casing head. 


Oil wells in line ’with the flood are cleaned out customarily, 
Sometimes shot lightly, and drilled below the sand to provide a sump 
in which 2 larger quantity of oil. may accumulate without exerting back 
pressure on the sand. : 


Considerable differences of opinion exist regarding the relative 
efficiency cf new wells or old wolls, both as watered wells and as oil 
producing wells. One group advocntes’the use of old wells for water- 
ing, because they are already drilled, flow lines have been developed 
by the. removal of the oi1, and the sand has boon shattered by repeated 
Shooting. However, paraffine, silt, flonting sand, anc chemical pre- 
Cipitates May have accumulated around an old well during its life, and 
tend to obg@truct the flow of watcr outward. These obstructions may be 
partially romoved by 2 light shot. 


These same advocates claim that old wells’arc more productive 
when in‘advance of the flood, because the sand, having been partially 
Oreined, offers less resistance to the advancing flood, There is also 
the possibility of obstruction by the materials mentionec above. 

They, however, probably offer less resistance to the water, resulting 
in more rapid drowning. 

A second group advocates the use of new wells, both for watering 
ond for producing, because they are clean and without obstruction. 


Theoretical Considerations on Flooding Phcnomena. Given abso- 
lutely uniform conditions in a horiZgontal sand and equal extraction of 
oil from all parts, the water entering the sand would occupy a 
circular area about the foot of the well into which the water was 
introduced, This circle would widen, carrying in front of’it a mass 
of oif, When the advancing edge of the oil reaches 2 well, or when 4 
well is drilled into the oil or the water, there is a tondency to flow 
toward that well, Should the well be drilled within the body of oil, 
there would be a flow into the well from oll Cirections, including the 
direction of the well from which the floading was proceeding, since 
that part also would be wnder pressure. The meximum flow would be 
along the straight line joining the two wells, 


The spread of flooding is, roughly, 100 to 200 fect per year, 


The cirele marking the watered aren before the pressure is 
relicved by 2 well has a radius determined ’by the per cent saturation 
of the sand and the per cent of extraction, but is independent of the 
porosity. 


Advancing flood docs not remove all the oi1, because duc to their 
differing surface tension with respect to sand, the water cannot dis- 
piace the oil held by adhesion, 


























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Flood-Drilling Pregromme. Various schomes of flooding have been 
worked out; some advocating a circie of 8 te 10 wells about o single 
water well, the intention-being to put water into this ring cf wells 
when they are drowned out, and drill another ring whose wells are on 
radii midway between the wells on the, first circie and at a distance 
less than twice the radius of the first circle, This method has the 
advantage of decreasing the‘amount of oil trapped, and all the benefit 
accrucs to the lease-holder, provided the watered well is distant from 
the leasé boundarics, but probsbly it will show a less efficient yield 
per well, Moreover this method has the disadvantage of requiring an 
increasing number of wells in each succecding ring, so that a greater 
proportion of the profits from one ring is used in drilling the next. 


Another scheme is to put watcr into the welis at the four corners 
of a’squeare of old wells drilled on the old spacings of 400 or 500 
feet, and‘drilling a new square of four wells one placed midway along 
each Side, cach new well therefore receiving o double flosd. When 
these aro watered out, the pregram is to drill a center well which 
Will then have the combined force of eight wells and a large drainage 
arca, Outside wells on such a scheme would be a square of twelve 
wells. There would probably be considerable oil trapped within the 
first square because the wells on the midpoints of the sides are 
Gloser to the central well then the corner wells are, This arrange- 
ment would probably have a greater efficiency in barrels per well than 
the circular form using seven to ten wells, but it also has the dis- 
advantage of an increasing number of wells to be paid for. 


‘A third scheme is to drill a string of wells along 2 property 
line, prefcorably jointly with the owner of the adjoining property, 
putting water into alternate wells and pumping the intormediate ones. 
Then each pumping well will have the combined force of two flooded 
wells; Further drilling would be done opposite the space between 
wells, each well again having the combined force of two water wells. 
This scheme hos the disadvantage of requiring a large outlay for 
immediate drilling, which, however, can be cut in half by drilling the 
first wells jointly with the adjoining property owner. By finding tho 
proper distance for drilling the second row, 2 large part’or the loss 
due to trapped oil would be avoided and = high efficiency, expressed 
an barrels por well, would be scocured, 


All three of these methods are described without: considcration of 
finencisl expeciency, which, in tho majority of cases, is paramount. 
The usual method is to flood an o1d well, and to drill new wells to 
take advantage of the flood creatcd, In any Crilling scheme to take 
advantage of flooding the presence of old wells must be taken into 
consideration, 


Prices and Values as Affected by FPliosding, The results obtained 
by flooding have raised the prices of unflooded land to unprecedented 
points: Properties have exchanged hands within the last year (1921) 
at $15,000 per barrel day, and the prices quoted, cxprossed in dollars 
per acre, range from $900 to $1350 for leases which some ycars ago 
were sold at the value of the casing and tubing in the wells, 






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A computation shows, however, that these prices may be justified, 
if there is a good water‘supply, and the lease is in 2 pool with an 
even sand without breaks, soft streaks or other irregularitics. 
suppose such a lease to be a square of 160 acres nand‘to be purchased 
for $1000 per acre. With 2 well spacing of 203 fcet, there would be 
14 rows of 13 wells each, if both side lines are drilled. Suppose the 
two line rows to be drilled jointly with the adjoining owner, Then 
the owner of the 160 acres woulé drill, pay for and receive oil from 
12 whole rows and two half rows, or 13 full rows of wells, The 
average cost of drilling these would be about $5000 per well, or 


7845 ,000 for the 169 wells, 


In this method; with the force of two watered wells acting on 
each producing well, the speed of flooding would approximately require 
one row to be drilled each year, or the life of the lease would be 14 
years, Allowing 10 per cént intercst on the original investment, the 
interest charge would be ,10 x $160,000 x 14 yoars or $224,000, 
Allowing “$10,000 running expense per year (since only one row of 13 
wells is producing at one time), the operating expense for 14 years 
would be &140,000, } 


Cost of Operating 160 Acres, 


? ? 


Investment . . .. » 160 acres at $1,000 $160 , O00 
Bateres) . ss. «ss LO per cent on investment 

i4 years 224,000 
Drilling oes ¢ 8 8 169 wells at w5 , 900 845 ; O00 
BAPENSG 4 ss 2 « ». 14 years at $10,000 140 , 000 





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Estimating the average, yield of 4000 barrels per acre, the 160 
acres would prcducce 640,000 barrols, which at 34 por barrel would 
amount to $2,560,000. Taxcs must be decuctc@, Should the rate of 
flooding be less than that usec, bath the intcrest and operating 
expenses would be inereased, 


Unwatering. It is common cpinion that flocding marks the end 
Mreune productivity of the Bradford sand. Should the price. of sit 
justify it, this sand could possibly be uwnwoatered successfully. As the 
Sand is very fine it offers great resistance tc the flow. However, 

Dy Using & positive pressure as compressed air, to force the sil and 
water into the producing wolls, the water could be removed, 





Probable Percentage of Extraction. There secms to be nv doubt 
that cvén the most successful floocing cxtracts no grent percentage of 
the 311. if the average porosity of this sand is 18 por cent, and it 
is completely saturatcd, this gives roughly 1,400 barrels per acre 
mer foot of sand, Estimeting an average of 3O fect of sand and 90 
per cent saturation, the original content was’37,000 barrels per acrc, 
Normal yield varies from'2,700 to possibly 15,000 barrels per acre. 
This same territory flozdec yields from 1,800 to 10,000 barrels per 


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acre. Assuming average conditions, there mre removed by normal yicld 
and by flooding probably about 10,000 barrels per acre, which indi- 
cates that there remains in the sand about 70 per cent of its 
original contcnt. 


Smith-Dunn Compressed Air Process. 


Pressure restoration by means of compressed na 
gas has not been wicoly used in Pennsylvanian ani |; 
hard to get. This method was once used succcessf 

was discontinued because the neotural fas was sr 


r and compressed 
ecise data are 

ly in Bradford, but 
r ed by adulteration 
With compressed air. The method has been in use in the Thiré Venango 
Sand near Oil City for = number of years, but no data shewing the 
results obtained were available. ‘Some operators have discontinued 
its use because the gas is mined, others because tubing and casing 
is destroyed. This they belicve to be cue to the presence of air in 
the suit.swater. In most cases, however, the method has been success- 
ful with respect to the oil produced. While few data were availoble 
from operations in Pennsylvania, the following data were securec from 
operations in Ohio, 


Increase in production of Oil in Ohio by Smith-Dunn FProccss, 
(in berrels) 


Estimated Tote! Increase Wells 
No, Natural Waturaol Natural Actual Increase (per cent)O0il Air 
1 18308 5270 22578 276515 22245 95 ? ? 
2 16229 23460 18589 13672 i yea $3: 61 4 1 
3 16500 1735 18235 14665 12930 Tak 4 Ri 
4 44660 6350 51010 42810 36460 ie mane 5 
5 23900 4700 28600 8930 4230 14 ? ? 


Complete captions for the colums in the above teble in crder 
from left to right are: 


No, of Property. 

Natural production prior to use 9f air. 

Estimated natural procuction from time of application of 
air to date. | 

Total natural procuction to date (cestimatec). 

Actunl production since use of air. 

Increase due to use of air, 

Percentage increase due to use of air. 


The last two columns indicate the number of wells on each property 


into which air was forced anc of from which oil was pumped, 


The data shown in this table do not represent o11 of the 
installations and are not known to represent average results. Hence, 


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While the spoiling of the gas for domestic use and for use in 


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lease operation is a great objection in the mind of the operator, yet 
it would seem that the incrensed rroduction of-.oil would greatly 
offset the expense of buying fuel to replace the gas, Eowever, should 
the method become so general as t. ruin the gas throughout the field 
a large outlay of capital would be necessary to subs titute oil 
engines for the gas cngines used on conmressors and pumps. This is 
probably one of the chief reasons why the method is nov in nore 
goneral use . 
In his report, "Mcthcds ieee increasi : 
sands," * J, 0. Lewis says with regard to a part 
the production curve of this property and of mo £ tho) ethers, where 
the process has been used long shows a ter caine!) which if 
unchecked will make a doubling of total Pe Oee Ey net to bet hoped’ Lor 
Deeemeepverage property in the Appolachian field; and, in fact, is 
far more likely that if the future does not show preater efficiency 
the total increascté recovery on the average property cannot reach 50 
percent." 


recovery fron oil 
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. eaince the dato shovn herein include a red ten figures through 
ive, ond since other installations’not included in the table are 
known to be in successful ovcration, it is considered conservative 
to estimate that in the Appaiechian field an increased recovery on 
the average property will be 50 per cont of the total natural 
production, 


Unwatering. 


The third methsd of increasing the production of oil is the 
Yejuvenation of old pools or leases by unwatering, Two fields are 
conspicuous examples sf its use: Tidioute, and the fonous Petroleum 
Center-Pioneer fields. 


Hitiy Development, Both these ficlds were carly discoveries, 
whe noles were drilied usually by the wet method and before casing 
was ceveloped or thought to be advantageous Tubing was inserted and 
Water scoled off by 2 sced=-bag packer, 


As the lower port of the Third Venango sand in these two fields 
was known to contain soit water it was common practice te drill only 
into the upper oil-bearing stratun. 


At Petroleum Center ond Pioneer Se EO was intense anc very 

Brootl parcels of land were sold or leass result ing in a large 
number of wells, iihen theso wells Beara adit to a settled unprofitable 
production they were abandoned, in some cases without removing the 
matorial, These wells nermitted the entrance cf water to the sand and 
ina short time tho field was flozded out, the flood traveling at the 

rate of one to five féet a day. Subsequently these fields were 
practically abandoned, . 


Recent Developments, About 1904 an effort was made in TPicioute 
to produce oil from tho Flooded poo 1. After pumping water for six 


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months and being ridiculed by everybody, the owner beean to produce 
an increasing que ntity Cleo i yg one quantity of 2il produced subh- 
sequent to the flood ig not rocordcd, i 


At Pioneer ar attenpt to rejuvenate oil’wells was made about . 
1917, By érilling to the bottom of the sand, by using a large ugriting 
barrel] and by pumping’ continuously the water wes cxhausted and gmc: 
gas obtained. In order to naceclerate the procoss and to help carry..: 
the expense, a vacuum and colpressor was installed, which prodited * 
Some gasoline, iH ‘ a ee 

The present procedure is substantinlly the samca: That tis is 
successful is’evidcnecd by the fact that in the first Fe Las, AP Lod 
into the sand, the water rose 300 fect above the tof: af the sand, 
While wolls drilled into the sand now cncounter n> water in the f 
15 feet. The cntranee of new water through old holes was prevente 
Dy plugging meny of thom, This was fursher addedsby Oo natured 
plugging off by silt and a chcnical precipitate locally called 


gypsum. 


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This ré Juvenrtion, combined with the monufacture of gasolinc, 
has been highly sucecssful, cne 100-acre lease showing oil procuction 
as follows: 


1919 ! - 47;000 barrels 


1920 am 56,000" 
1921 = 43,500 " (last 2 months 


estinatec) 

In addition to this, thrcoe gasoline plants wore built on this 
lease, one of which produccd 32 ,090 gallons in Novenber of this yea 
aap has beon averaging at least "500 gallons per day since Soptonbor 

ILS . 


Tidicute probably represents the advanced stare in the history 
of this proccss, Vacuum is applicd universally, new wells drillcd in 
Showing "back sretion.” Oil production hes deelined to va: Very small 

quantity. aes continued application of the vacuum hes so cxhausted 
the me than ethane, and propanc, that no pressure, is required to 
condense fie vapors “drawn in thé vacuun pumps, gasoline being formed 
at Zero to four pounds pressure, Due‘ts the decline in oil production 
and the inercased richness of the ges, gasoline manufacture has 

become the chicf sourec of income and the wells are kept open and 

Zroo of water for the gas they contain. This latter fact prevents 

the usc of compresscd oir for the production of oil in this ficld 


Other Ficlds. This rojuvenntion method seems to have an 
application in a number of the oarly. ficlaés in Pennsylvania which were 
drowned because of lack of knowle ago and equipucnt, The Pitt Hole 
pool end the Cooporstow or Gladc Mill pool arc two cxamples, It 
would scem that there is an opportunity for the application of 


ongincering methods in order to take advantage of the considerable 


water pressure in the flonded sands in these pools. By proper placing 
of packers or a system of bottom plugging, this water could be made 


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to force the cil out of the’ denser part of the sands in which the 
greater part. of the remaining cil is believed ts be held and fron 
which it will not he s9 cfficiently removed if the pressure is 
dissipated by draining the water from the nore porous perts. 


Cleaning Methods. 
Cleaning Methsds applied to TOG tis wells for increasing the 
yielc fron oid pools are numerous Chief anone these mre: 


ate Squib shooting. 

a2. Treatment with gasoline sr kerosene. 

Se Treatment with chonicals, Socie) Or alkalis, 
‘4. Use of heat pro eta chenies Lis. 

ees Troatrnent with hot salt water. 

6. Treatment with stéan, . 

7< Use of electrical heatine devices, 


1, Squib Hobe has long been in general practice anc con- 

sts of 2 blast with endlt quantity of hich explosive Lirec in the 

here at the oil sand Ho eke Oa to looson the rock and accurmlated silt 
CeenarottTine . 


‘2, Treatncnt with gasoline cr "benzene," as it was then 
called, was practiced in the early days of the industry when gasoline 
Was 2 uscless‘product of the refincry. Lately this method has again 
come into use, kerosens taking the place cf gasoline. Kerosene has 
the advantage of being less volatile and can be sold to the pipe line 
companies at tho Prace.O., Hr, 


The usual procedure is to pump the well cry and pour into it two 
tO Six barrels of kerosene. This-is agitated for a number of hours 
‘by means of o bailer, wee.god open, or is left in: the well over night. 
Good results hove been ob stained. 


Oe) the Use Of strong acids ‘or alkalis is not cottmon and. part of 
the results obtained by them are duc to the heat gencrated m coming 
in contact with water. The strong alkalis seem to be able to break’ 
Uemana render fluid emulsions of oil md water and bottom settlings, 
micere often.usee in prepering a'tank of 3911 to be run. 


‘4. No case is knovm where heat producing chemicals have been 
used, so the results obtained thereby arc not known. Thermite, or a’ 
mixture of aluminum filings and sodium peroxice, have becn sugeested. 
A process of burning cut wells with liquid oxygen, to clean them of 
accumulations of paraffine, ctce., has been proposcd but no instance 
of its successful use was found. 


De One case of successful flushing by hot salt water was 
recorded. Salt writer was simply passed through coils heated by gas 
and run into the well. 


6. The use of steam-has almost always resultec in a hole full 


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of water from the condensed stean,. 


7. Probably the most promising method of cleaning is by 
électrical heating, At least two types of heaters have been h 
developed, one o carbon rod resistance type, the other on iron-clad, 
induction type heater, Four wells were treated by the latter type of 
heater at Washington, Pa. with the following results: 


The first well for the first 5 months of 1918 averoged 33 barrels 
per weck, After trentment in‘Octobor, 1918, the production was in- 
ereascd to 9 barrels per week, an increase of 135 per cent. In’ 
December 1919, this well was still producing 9 barrels per weck, and 
in December 1921, 73 barrels per week, 


The second woll during the 10 years preccding treatment, 
averagee 2 barrels per weck, After trentment in November 1918 its 
production was increased to 4 barrels, In December 1919‘it was still 
procucing 4 barrels of oil per week and in December 1921, is producing 
3s barrels, 


The third well prior to treatmcnt produced 4 barrels per weck, 
After treatment in the latter part of 1918 its production was in- 
~ereascd to 6 barrels per week, It is now producing 4 barrels por 
week, 


The fourth well was producing 12 barrels ve&) week, The first 
week after heat treating in November 1919 the production was 8 ° 
barrels due to caving trouble, the second weck it was 18 barrels, and 
in December 1921, it was 12 barrels per weck, 


None of the wells has been cleaned or treatec in ony way since 
the first clectrical heat treatment, This nethod has nct been tricd 
elsewhere, 


the electric heater. is made 2f steel pipe, welded, has no 

breakable parts, and is very sturdy, The heater is lowered into the 
well attached to the sand’line, which serves as a return circuit. 
An insulated copper cablco, which is tied to the sand line at intervals 
Gz, about 8O fect, carries the current to the *heater, The heater nay 
also be attached to the bottom 2f the tubing, the tubing then serving 
as the return conductor, The heat treatment is ayppliec for 40 to 80 
hours, the curront required being 10 K W at 220 volts; The advantage 
of this hcater is that the hot part is on the outside, in direct 
contact with the fluid in the well. The heater can be used in ficles 
where alternating current is available. Probably the bettor method, 
however, is the construction of a portable, gasolinc-driven generator 
et to furnish the:power, Such a plant is estinatcd to cost about 
pP8,000, This plan, however, probably is foasible only for companics 
having enough wells to justify the cost and to keep the plant in 
fairly constant operation. 


Upper Sands. 
In meny parts of Pennsylvania, a number of upper sands were 


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passed through in the originel drilling to cecper sands known to be 
large produccrs. These upper sands are cil-bearing, but were passcd 
through in order to sceure the nore prolific flow from sands below. 
These lower sands having now becone cxhausted, the upper sands are 
being tested. Fortunately in most eases the dcpths of these upper 
pProecuctive sands were recordcéd and it is a eccmparatively sinple matter 
to locate anc shoot thems In one well a sand cstimated toa be capablo 
of producing 40 barrels of oi1 por day was enscéd off in on effort to 
reach © lower sand. The lowor sand having been cxhaustcd, the casing 
Will now be pulled and the hole plugecd as far as this sand, 


The results obtaincd by this method are highly satisfactory, A 
very profitable producer is obtainca at the cxpense wf vartially 
plugging a well about to be abandoned. A single well may yicld fron 
om Upper sand os much os 15 barrels per day, 


Estineate of Reserves, 


The petroleum reserves in Pennsylvania are estinated as follows: 
lL. Puture production unaided by improved methacs, 35,000,000 barrels 
ee Reserves in Bradford pool recovernble by flooding’ 
179 ,Q00 , 000 " 
3. Reserves in remainder of the State recoverable ‘ 
dy Compressed cir 273,000 , C00 i 








487,000,000 i 
These figures were derived by the following methods: 


4, <A Gurve was‘plotted shawing the production of petreleun in 
mommheyivorza ta 1920; not including the output by florxcing in the 
Bradford ficel@, A projection of the curve indicates a’future natural 
Production from 411 Pennsylvania pools of about 35,000,000 barrels. 

moe the’ Brocrird ficid the average producbion ‘to date ‘irom 
BorouG acros*’has becn about 2900 barrels per acre. This aren, while 
Meee rvauliye, 90 Coubt includes some very po r and’ possibly sone 
BnoroLetable territory. However, 2 typical lJcase in the center of 
Peer tela Lor Which 2 S8+year production reesrd was obteined shows a 
meet Of Approximately 5,500 barrels per acre 


Et has heen showi that Pleccinge in the Bracford ficld, after 
exhaustion by the usual methed, will produce 4,500 t9‘5,500 barrels 
per aerc, If we consider that the avernge yicle of 2,900 barrels 
Without inproved methocs is to. small, cs evicence indicntes, it is 
believed conservative to estimate thet the ficld will prveduec by 
Peorcun nS MNO ne. it produced naturally. 


? 


The production of the field has been’approximately 251,000, 000 
barrels, 3f which 95 poer:cont, or 258,000,000 barrels was from welis 
in Pernsylvania. It is believed, that 25 per cent of the field has 


been flooded, If we estimate the remaining acreaze to produce 100 


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per‘cent of its past production, the rescrve in the field is 
179,000,000 barrels. 


3. The total production of the State to date has been approxi-~ 
mately 750,000;000 barrels, of which 238 ,000 ,000 have come from the 
Bradford field, leaving 512 ,000 ,000 as the production of the rest of 
the State. A conservative estinate of future production without the 
use of ’special methods, as worked out by 2 production curve, is 
35,000,000 barrels, This eives a‘total natural. production of 
54? 000 ,900 barrels for the State, exclusive of the Bradford field. 
Pt we. estinate that 50 per cent of this quantity will be procuced by 
the use of compressed air, ‘we have an éstimate reserve from the rest 
of Pennsylvania of 275, 000 ,O0O barrels. 


It is believed that production sbtained by the unwatering 
method” and by cleaning, and from upper sands will approximately 
replace the losses cuc to the impossibility of applying the improved 

a¢thods to small deep pools now abandoned, and no addition is made to 
the reserve estimate based on these methods, 


No mention has been made in this paper of the possibility of 
obtaining oil by means of shafts and galleries, after the manner of 
the French invAlseace.- This i622 yossibie Source of enormeus quan~ :‘ 
tities of petroleun, possibly less remote‘than shale oil However, 
this method is not in use in this country, and the results that may 
be obtained are not included here, 


- 14 «- 


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